Robert Novell Year in Review 2011 1 Table of Contents 1. A Brief History of United Airlines 3 2. A Brief History of TWA Airlines 40 3. A Brief History of Eastern Airlines 74 4. Closing Thoughts 116 2 Part One United Airlines before the Deregulation Act of 1938 United Airlines officially began airline operations in 1926 as a mail carrier. It was also the first fare- paying airline to fly customers from coast to coast in the United States, and by 1930, had introduced the concept of an airline stewardess. The airline soon became one of the “Big Four” contenders in the U.S. and continues to be one of America’s major airlines. It was founded in Boise, Idaho. United Airlines was originally formed as a partnership between Boeing Airplane Company and Pratt & Whitney. It was overseen by the United Aircraft and Transport Corporation and United Air Lines was actually an operating division that was established on July 1, 1931. United’s slogan was the “World’s Largest Air Transport System”. The four transport divisions of the United Aircraft and Transportation Corporation had now become United Airlines. When the Air Mail Act of 1934 broke up all of the aviation holding companies in the United States, the United Aircraft and Transport Corporation was broken up into Boeing, United Aircraft and United Air Lines. It was at this time that United Airlines began offering coast-to-coast service from New York to San Francisco and Los Angeles. Within four months of the beginning coast-to-coast operations, United Air Lines was making as many as 11 round trips every day between Chicago and New York. United’s new president, William A. Patterson, was hired to start fresh with more airmail contracts. As it expanded its early route system, it also turned four of its major cities into hubs – Chicago, San Francisco, New York City and San Francisco. These four cities are still the airline’s principal hubs today. On October 11, 1933, a United Boeing 247 exploded in mid-air and crashed somewhere near Chesterton, Indiana. All seven people onboard were killed during the explosion and investigators reported that it was caused by a nitroglycerin bomb that detonated in the baggage hold. This event officially became known as the United Airlines Chesterton Crash and is the first proven case of air sabotage in commercial aviation history. The transcontinental flight was carrying three crew members and just four passengers with a final destination in Oakland, California. It departed from Newark, New Jersey on October 10, 1933 and was heading to Chicago when it exploded. No one was ever charged or identified in the incident, and it remains an unsolved mystery. 3 https://hangar47.com/Boeing_247~Wms.html The Deregulation Act of 1938 was initiated by Congress to protect the public interest and ensure that airlines could compete fairly for various routes. New airlines had to obtain a certificate through the Civil Aeronautics Board before they were permitted to offer flights between certain cities. United Airlines was already relatively well-established by this time, and continued to expand and grow at a steady rate unaffected by the legislative changes. Next week we continue our series but until then take care and fly safe. Robert Novell January 07, 2011 4 Part Two The Ads Tell a Story This week we continue our series on UA but this week we are going to let the ads (advertisements) of the time tell the story. Enjoy…………………. 5 6 7 8 9 10 Next week we continue our series on United Airlines but I will return to our story and fill in a few more blanks about their history. I hope you will enjoy this look back in time and as always take a few minutes each day to reflect back on your roots as an aviator and help me identify what we as “Gatekeepers of the Third Dimension” need to do to protect our profession. The preceding ads are presented for educational purposes and cannot be reproduced or used for any other purpose. Robert Novell January 14, 2011 11 Part Three United Airlines during World War II By 1940, United Airlines became the first airline to provide cargo flights. It had also recently opened the first U.S. flight kitchen to provide in-flight meal service, and it soon became known as the airline that offered a new level of customer service. United Airlines Route Map in 1940 http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:UAL_Route_Map_1940.jpg During World War II, many United-trained ground crew members and employees were flying bomber planes and supporting various mail efforts. The war prompted many new technology developments for the aviation industry, and United was able to adopt many of these technologies shortly after the war. Most of the airlines, including United Airlines, were well-prepared for the war effort and mobilized many aircraft, supplies, and equipment relatively quickly. The Air Transport Command (ATC) formed in 1942 to coordinate the transport of aircraft, equipment, and cargo across the United States, and to deploy cargo, aircraft and personnel around the world. Demand for consumer air travel dissipated during World War II and United, like many other airlines, was fully focused on the war effort. Most aircraft flew more than 80 percent full during the war and the military requisitioned approximately 200 of the United States’ 360 airliners, including United’s aircraft. 12 World War II did revive the airline industry in many ways. Major airlines, including United, had moved away from carrying postal mail and developed new networks that would carry casual flyers, as well as military personnel and cargo. Airlines in the Allied countries were free of lease contracts to the military and saw an explosive increase in demand for civil air transport shortly after World War II was over. Many airlines invested in new aircraft including the Douglas DC-6 and the Lockheed Constellation. These planes were pressurized and were designed like the American bomber planes used during the war. This transition led United and other airlines into a period known as the Jet Age--- Next week we will continue our series but until then please take care and fly safe Robert Novell January 21, 2011 13 The Ads Tell a Story Part Four This week we continue our series on UA but this week but we are going to let the ads (advertisements) of the time tell the story. Enjoy…………………. 14 15 16 17 18 19 I hope you will enjoy this look back in time and as always take a few minutes each day to reflect back on your roots as an aviator and help me identify what we as “Gatekeepers of the Third Dimension” need to do to protect our profession. The preceding ads are presented for educational purposes and cannot be reproduced or used for any other purpose. Robert Novell January 28, 2011 20 Part Five United Airlines during the Jet Age The Jet Age is the time period right after World War II when major airlines began introducing high- powered, turbine engine planes into their fleet. These planes were capable of flying much faster, higher and farther than piston-powered aircraft and could easily make transcontinental and intercontinental flights with few delays. Still, United Airlines entered the Jet Age much later than other airlines. This was because United was an early customer of the Douglas DC-8 which was released several months after the Boeing 707 that was adopted by many other major airlines. Still, United maintained many of its early routes operating in and around the West Coast, Midwest and Mid-Atlantic States. It also managed several transcontinental flights through Denver, Colorado. Denver continues to be of United’s major hubs t this day. United Airlines continued to grow and expand, and would continue competing with other major airlines through the Jet Age. In 1951, the airline ordered 30 twin-engine Convair-Liner 340s for $16.5 million and later increased its order to 55. It was soon operating DC-4 Mainliners that would be able to fly coast-to- coast in just 14 hours. In 1953, United Airlines, and RCA, developed airborne radar for weather mapping. In October 25, 1955, United placed its first order for the Douglas DC-8s jet aircraft for a total of $17 million. 21 http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:6609-UAL-DC-6-NorthRampStapletonDEN.jpg) Another catastrophic incident took place on November 1, 1955. United Airlines Flight 629 was flying from Stapleton Airport in Denver to Portland, Oregon but exploded en route from a bomb that was planted on the plane, killing everyone on board. This tragic event was not a mystery. A man named Jack Graham was found guilty of bombing the plane and was executed a year after the incident. In June 1961, the airline merged with Capital Airlines to create what was then the world’s largest airline. It then moved its headquarters from Chicago’s Midway Airport to Chicago O’Hare Airport. As the airline continued to grow and expand, it developed a strong brand presence and began running some fresh and new advertising campaigns. By December 1964, the airline became the first domestic carrier to have a fully automatic, all-weather landing system. This improved operations significantly and set the airline apart from the competition. In October 1965, the airline launched the famous “Fly the Friendly Skies’ advertising campaign. In 1969, United Airlines became a subsidiary of a new holding company UAL, Inc. UAL soon acquired Western International Hotels, (later to become Westin Hotels). http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:United_747old.jpg) Until next week please take care and fly safe.